Freshwater

9 November 2011: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the "World Aquaculture 2010" report, which identifies various external pressures on the sector, including climate change, the global economic crisis, and pandemic diseases.

30 October 2011: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released the seventh issue of its Climate Change Adaptation Bulletin, which reports on the announcement by the Government of Australia to contribute Aus$7.35 million to finance the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Initiative, implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

8 November 2011: The seventh Conference of the Pacific Community convened in Noumea, New Caledonia, under the theme “Climate Change and Food Security – Managing the Risks for Sustainable Development,” from 7-8 November 2011. The Conference emphasized the importance of a paradigm shift in addressing climate change, not necessarily “doing different business, but rather doing business differently” to determine the level of acceptable risk and to prepare responses.

3 November 2011: The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) concluded its general discussion on sustainable development, with a number of speakers referring to the challenges of drought, desertification, climate change and land degradation. Delegates also looked ahead to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), expressing support and some reservations about the “green economy.”

2 November 2011: The 2011 Human Development Report, titled "Sustainability and Equity: A Better Future for All,” highlights that equity and sustainability are inextricably linked. It notes that, if bold actions are not taken, environmental damage, including climate change effects, can slow or reverse development progress made in recent years.

31 October 2011: The UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) has issued a common statement on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), following the CEB's biannual meeting and retreat. The statement underscores that eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development "must start with the recognition that the world has changed in fundamental ways."

7 October 2011: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announced that nine students and researchers from developing countries have been awarded scholarships for postgraduate studies or research on climate science for 2011-2012.